Chapter 1 of The K-Factor is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The K-Factor is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Speed never hurt anybody--it's the sudden stop at the end. It's not how much change that signals danger, but how fast it's changing...._ "We're losing a planet, Neel. I'm afraid that I can't ... understand it." The bald and wrinkled head wobbled a bit on the thin neck, and his eyes were moist. Abravanel was a very old man.
Chapter 1 of The K-Factor is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
with no effort to conceal
From this reading “The bald and wrinkled head wobbled a bit on the thin neck, and his eyes were moist.”
marked by continuous change or effective action
From this reading “It's not how much change that signals danger, but how fast it's changing...._ "We're losing a planet, Neel.”
slightly wet
From this reading “The bald and wrinkled head wobbled a bit on the thin neck, and his eyes were moist.”
French physicist noted for research on magnetism (born in 1904)
From this reading “It's not how much change that signals danger, but how fast it's changing...._ "We're losing a planet, Neel.”
(astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading “It's not how much change that signals danger, but how fast it's changing...._ "We're losing a planet, Neel.”
plural of “signal” — any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message
From this reading “It's not how much change that signals danger, but how fast it's changing...._ "We're losing a planet, Neel.”
past form of “wobble” — move unsteadily
From this reading “The bald and wrinkled head wobbled a bit on the thin neck, and his eyes were moist.”
marked by wrinkles
From this reading “The bald and wrinkled head wobbled a bit on the thin neck, and his eyes were moist.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It's not how much change that signals danger, but how fast it's changing...._ "We're losing a planet, Neel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Abravanel was a very old man.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading I'm afraid that I can't ... understand it."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The bald and wrinkled head wobbled a bit on the thin neck, and his eyes were moist.
any person at all
From this reading _Speed never hurt anybody--it's the sudden stop at the end.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading _Speed never hurt anybody--it's the sudden stop at the end.
with no effort to conceal
From this reading The bald and wrinkled head wobbled a bit on the thin neck, and his eyes were moist.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading The bald and wrinkled head wobbled a bit on the thin neck, and his eyes were moist.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It's not how much change that signals danger, but how fast it's changing...._ "We're losing a planet, Neel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm afraid that I can't ... understand it."
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading It's not how much change that signals danger, but how fast it's changing...._ "We're losing a planet, Neel.
marked by continuous change or effective action
From this reading It's not how much change that signals danger, but how fast it's changing...._ "We're losing a planet, Neel.
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading It's not how much change that signals danger, but how fast it's changing...._ "We're losing a planet, Neel.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading _Speed never hurt anybody--it's the sudden stop at the end.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The bald and wrinkled head wobbled a bit on the thin neck, and his eyes were moist.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading It's not how much change that signals danger, but how fast it's changing...._ "We're losing a planet, Neel.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The bald and wrinkled head wobbled a bit on the thin neck, and his eyes were moist.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The bald and wrinkled head wobbled a bit on the thin neck, and his eyes were moist.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's not how much change that signals danger, but how fast it's changing...._ "We're losing a planet, Neel.
be the source of pain
From this reading _Speed never hurt anybody--it's the sudden stop at the end.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I'm afraid that I can't ... understand it."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm afraid that I can't ... understand it."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I'm afraid that I can't ... understand it."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Speed never hurt anybody--it's the sudden stop at the end.
-ing form of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading It's not how much change that signals danger, but how fast it's changing...._ "We're losing a planet, Neel.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Abravanel was a very old man.
slightly wet
From this reading The bald and wrinkled head wobbled a bit on the thin neck, and his eyes were moist.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading It's not how much change that signals danger, but how fast it's changing...._ "We're losing a planet, Neel.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading The bald and wrinkled head wobbled a bit on the thin neck, and his eyes were moist.
French physicist noted for research on magnetism (born in 1904)
From this reading It's not how much change that signals danger, but how fast it's changing...._ "We're losing a planet, Neel.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading _Speed never hurt anybody--it's the sudden stop at the end.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It's not how much change that signals danger, but how fast it's changing...._ "We're losing a planet, Neel.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Abravanel was a very old man.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The bald and wrinkled head wobbled a bit on the thin neck, and his eyes were moist.
(astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading It's not how much change that signals danger, but how fast it's changing...._ "We're losing a planet, Neel.
plural of “signal” — any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message
From this reading It's not how much change that signals danger, but how fast it's changing...._ "We're losing a planet, Neel.
move hurridly
From this reading _Speed never hurt anybody--it's the sudden stop at the end.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading _Speed never hurt anybody--it's the sudden stop at the end.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading _Speed never hurt anybody--it's the sudden stop at the end.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It's not how much change that signals danger, but how fast it's changing...._ "We're losing a planet, Neel.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Speed never hurt anybody--it's the sudden stop at the end.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading The bald and wrinkled head wobbled a bit on the thin neck, and his eyes were moist.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading I'm afraid that I can't ... understand it."
precisely as stated
From this reading Abravanel was a very old man.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Abravanel was a very old man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's not how much change that signals danger, but how fast it's changing...._ "We're losing a planet, Neel.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The bald and wrinkled head wobbled a bit on the thin neck, and his eyes were moist.
past form of “wobble” — move unsteadily
From this reading The bald and wrinkled head wobbled a bit on the thin neck, and his eyes were moist.
marked by wrinkles
From this reading The bald and wrinkled head wobbled a bit on the thin neck, and his eyes were moist.
Chapter 1 of The K-Factor by Harry Harrison holds 433 sentences, grouped into 87 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 1 holds 433 sentences of The K-Factor, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The K-Factor by Harry Harrison exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 433 sentences, grouped into 87 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The K-Factor by Harry Harrison on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 849 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22540 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22540, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 70 minutes of reading across 170 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The K-Factor section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The K-Factor to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The K-Factor, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
